Tim Lewis has gone from British basketball to Chris Finch's Minnesota bench, and he has his sights set on a ring.
Tim Lewis is one of the more unusual names on an NBA bench. The British-born coach, a Welshman, has joined Chris Finch's staff at the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his goal is the biggest prize in basketball: an NBA championship.
Lewis's arrival adds another voice to a Minnesota coaching group that is built to compete at the top of the Western Conference. Assistant coaches carry a lot of the day-to-day work in the league, from scouting and game-planning to player development, and a new addition can sharpen all three.
The move is also a reminder of how global the NBA's coaching pipeline has become. Basketball talent and expertise now come from far beyond American college programs. Coaches from across Europe and the wider basketball world are earning places on staffs at the highest level.
For Lewis, the job is a chance to test himself in the world's toughest league, with a franchise that wants to be a contender. Whether Minnesota can turn that ambition into a title run is the question, and the new assistant will be right in the middle of it.
